Feed-water heater



J. E. MOURNE.

FEED WATER HEATER.

I 7 APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, I918. Lgssgmg, Patented Oct. 26, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

-J. E. MOURNE.

' FEED WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1918.

Patented Oct. 26,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED srarssrarssr QMIQE.

JOHN E. MOURNE, or DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR To LOCOMOTIVE sUPEnHEA'rEn COMPANY, or NE YORK, N. Y. I

FEED-WATER HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent. i fatfifiged O t 26 1920 Application filed. November 16, 1918. Serial 1\l'o. 262,769.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. MOURNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at No. 783 Downing Street, in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Water Heaters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in feed water heaters for boilers, and while more especially intended for use in connection with locomotive boilers, it may, of course, be employed with boilers of all types. My object is to provide a device of this character which shall be comparatively'simplein construction, economical in cost, rcliable, durable and efiicient in use.

' My improved device is located in the forward extremity of the shell of the boiler, that is to say, forward of the front extremities of the fire tubes and also forward of the smoke stack opening, and it consists of a convoluted channel or conduit through which the water is passed on its way tothe body of the boiler, or that through which the fire tubes pass. This convoluted hollow member is so located asto utilize as far as possiblethe heat which would otherwise be lost. One of its objects, therefore, is to conserve fuel.

The convoluted conduit or hollow meinher is flattened, so to speak, whereby the necessary volume of water to be supplied to the boiler is distributed over a relatively large area and thereby formed into a thin body or sheet to facilitate the heating of the same before it passes to the barrel or fire tube portion of the boiler. This is 'a very important feature. aving briefly outlined my improvement, I will roceed to describe the same in'detail, re erence being made to the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated'an em-- bodiment thereof. In this drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view of a locomotive, the location of my improved feed water heater being indicated by dotted line 3 th l t?" i Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2 2,

Fig. 1, forward of the convoluted conduit, the parts being shown ona larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3, Flg; 2, looking toward-the left, and shown on a still larger scale. a Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view, lllustrating one of the terminal blocks of the convoluted conduit, the latter being shown in section, or broken away close to the block.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation. partly in section, illustrating a locomotive equipped with my improvement, viewed from the side opposite that shown in Fig. 1.

' Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the other terminal block of the convoluted conduit, the latter being broken away near the block. Fig. '7 is a perspective view illustrating an angle bracket for supporting the conduit in the boiler shell, the said conduit being shown in section.

The same reference characters indicate the same Ipartsin all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate a locomotive boiler, .in the forward portion of the shell of which is located my improved feed water heater, whichis indicated by dotted-lines 1n Fig. 1, and shown partly in section in Fig. 5, the section in the last named'view being taken vertically, longitudinally and centrally through the boiler shell on a line approximately that indicated by 3+3 in entirety by the numeral 6. As indicated, in

Figs. 1 and 5, this device is located forward of the front extremities of the fire tubes of the boiler, or forward of the fire tube sheet. It consists in the specificembodiment illus trated. in the drawing of a' flattened convoluted channel or conduit, composed of a number of members, 7,8 and 9,the member 7 being outermost, the'member 9, innermost, and the member 8, intermediately located. This channel is continuous, so that the water introduced at one extremity thereof passes entirely throughthe channel and escapesin the opposite extremity thereof. As shown in'the drawing, the members 7 8 and 9 are of comparatively flat, tubular structure, the metal of which they are composed being shaped as if folded, so that the channel is closed at its rear extremity, as indicatedat 9 in Fig. 3, theedgesof the folded-:struc:

ture opposite the closures, 9, being spaced and filled by the use of a convoluted block, 12, which is of the same shape as the convoluted conduit and made to fit closely in the open forward extremities of the several members of the convoluted channel or conduit, this block or closure being shouldered, as indicated at 10, its reduced portion, 14:, entering the space between the parallel or flattened sides of the conduit while the shoulders of the closure engage the adjacent spaced edges of the conduit. The closure is secured in place by means of bolts, 15, which are passed through the reduced part, 14:, of the closure, and properly secured by nuts, a copper or other suitable gasket, 16,

being employed and forced into the passage of the conduit by the introduction of the part 14, this gasket also engaging the adjacent edges of the conduit and being engaged by the shoulders, 10, of the closure, whereby a fluid-tight joint is formed.

The outer extremity of the convoluted channelis secured to a block, 18, which is recessed as shown at 19, to receive the end of the conduit. This block, 18, is composed of a body member, 20, a thin copper gasket, 21, and a plate, 22, the gasket having an opening, 23, and the plate an opening, 24:, both of which register with the recess, 19, of the block. The parts 20, 21 and 22 of the block are secured by means of suitable fas tening devices, while the adjacent extremity of the convoluted conduit is brazed or other wise suitably connected with the plate 22, whereby the water which enters the block through an opening, 25, may pass freely into the conduit and thence through the various convolutions or members thereof, and out through a second terminal block, 26, hereinafter more fully described.

A check valve, 27 is passed through an opening in the boiler shell and threaded into the opening, 25, of the body member, 20,

of the block 18, the outer extremity of the check valve casing being connected with one extremity of an inlet pipe, 28, whose opposite extremity is in communication with a suitable source of water supply. This is an inwardly opening check valve, its only 7 function being to prevent the water from flowing back and escaping through the pipe 28 when the latter is disconnected from the pump or injector utilized for supplying the boiler with water.- The terminal block, 26, is illustrated in Fig. 4, and consists of a body member, 29, an outer plate, 30, and a thin copper gasket, 31, to which the adjacent terminal of the convoluted conduit is brazed, or otherwise suitably secured," the several parts of the block being connected by bolts or other suitable fastening devices passed through registering perforations formed in the several parts of the block. The body member has a recess, 32, which registers with openings, 33 and 34, formed in the gasket 31, and the plate, 30, whereby the water, after having passed through the conduit, enters the recess 32 of the block and passes out through the casing of a check valve, 35, which is passed through an opening in the boiler shell and threaded into the registering opening, 36, formed in the member 29. This is an outwardly opening check valve, allowing the water to pass out through its easing into a pipe, 37 which enters the barrel of the boiler, as shown at 38.

In addition to the blocks 18 and 26, which connect the convoluted conduit with the forward extremity of the boiler shell, other suitable means, as angle brackets, 39, may be employed. 3 of these brackets are brazed or otherwise suitably secured to the outer member, 7, of the conduit, and are connected with the boiler shell by suitable fastening devices, 410, which are passed through the shell and through openings, 41, formed in the outer member 12 of the brackets. However, it will be understood that any suitable means may be employed for supporting the convoluted conduit in the operative position with the forward part of the boiler shell and in suitable proximity to the front head, 13, thereof. I

It should be explained that the terminals of the convoluted closure, 12, respectively engage the plates 22 and 30 of the terminal blocks, 18 and 26, the said parts of the closure being shown in the exploded views, 6 and 4, of the drawing.

The check valve 35 is an outwardly opening valve, its only function being to prevent the back-flow of the water from the boiler into the convoluted conduit member, the two check valves 35 and 27 serving to prevent'the flow of the water from the boiler through the convoluted channel and out through the inlet pipe, 28, when the latter is disconnected from the pump or injector.

' From the foregoing description, the use and operation of my improved feed water -heater'will be readily understood; it will also be understood from the location of the structure in the forward end of the boiler that it is so positioned as to utilize the hot gases and exhaust products of combustion as they escape from the fire tubes of the boiler As shown in the drawing,

on their way to the smoke stack, thus utilizing as far as possible the heat which would otherwise be wasted. Furthermore, by virtue of the fact that the volume of water is reduced to a comparatively thin sheet and spread out over a relatively large. surface area, due to the flattened formation of the channel or conduit, the water is quickly heated, whereby it may be introduced to the barrel or fire tube portion of the water receptacle of the boiler at above the boiling point. This special construction of the con duit is important, since the water must pass rapidly through the same.

It should also be explained that my improvement is readily removable from the forward end of the boiler, after the head, 13, is taken ofi. This may be done by removing the fastening devices, 14, whereby the brackets, 29, are disconnected from the boiler shell, and by also unscrewing the check valves 27 and 45 from the blocks 18 and 26 of the structure. After the feed water heater is removed, access is given to its convoluted passage throughout its entire length, for cleaning purposes, by the removal of the convoluted closure 12.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

.1. In a feed water heater located in a 1000- motive smoke-box, a conduit of flattened U- shaped section bent into a plurality of substantially circular connected loops concentric with the smoke-box shell, a similarly bent solid member extending into the open side of the conduit, means to secure the solid member removably in place, and connections to supply water to, and to take water from the heater. 7

2. In a feed water heater the combination of a convoluted conduit of flattened U- shaped section, a similarly convoluted solid member extending into the open side of the conduit and serving to close it, means to secure the solid member in place, and connections to supply water to, and to take it off from, the conduit.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN E. MOURNE. 

